A two-day workshop organised by the CSIR Institute of Biosource Technology focused on helping farmers in India's Himalayan states deal with the mounting challenges of climate change. Titled Sustaining Horticultural Production under the Climate Change Scenario, the event held in the Himachal town of Palampur featured a galaxy of top-tier leaders, among them eminent scientists, policymakers, industry partners and heads of agricultural universities.
The experts underscored the need to work on boosting the incomes of farmers by helping them migrate to resilient, high-value crops in the face of the challenges exacerbated by climate change, like declining fertility, poor irrigation, skewed cost-production ratios, antiquated farming practices and deficient pest and disease management.
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The experts agreed that it was critical to help farmers boost their incomes and become more resilient to weather the climate change-induced adversities by promoting certified planting materials, high-value crops like kiwi, peach, pear and lemon grass and crop diversification.
Several local farmers took to the stage at the event, sharing their inspirational stories of success involving the cultivation of cash-rich crops like dragon fruit, kiwi and walnut and intercropping plants like lemongrass and citrus fruits.
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